Maybe this is just me, but waking up early signals an adventure. It all started when I was a kid growing up in a road trip family. Every summer, winter, and sometimes just a random Saturday, there would be an early wakeup for a road trip. I remember the excitement of getting out the antenna for my dad’s truck and the smell of drive-through pancakes. Eating pancakes in the backseat while the world flashed by the windows, painted in the pinks and oranges of morning, felt like the best thing ever.
There was something special about waking up early before everyone else because it always felt like the whole world was mine. There was mystery out there in the fading darkness. As a scientist, waking up early is still code for adventure, especially when you have to catch your boat!
Growing up in Ohio, when I thought of boats I always imagined picture-perfect sailboats or big cruise ships. The reality of common boats is very different! In the Amazon, life is directed by water. Because the jungle is so dense in many parts, people rely on the rivers to get to and from larger cities. Can you imagine taking a boat home from the grocery store? You have to be extra careful not to slip and drop your snacks into the water (speaking from experience).
